Tens of ISIL’s Smuggled-Oil Tankers Destroyed in Homs

The official said that the warplanes bombed heavily two ISIL convoys with over 68 tankers, destroying tankers and killing the militants accompanying the convoys.

He further added that the Syrian army troops immediately blocked pumping of oil and gas from the pipes in oil and gas fields that are under the control of the ISIL.

The Syrian official said that tens of ISIL terrorists from Iraq have joined their comrades in Homs, adding, “As soon as the terrorists took control over oilfields of al-Sha’er, al-Heil and al-Maher, they managed to steal oil and gas to smuggle them to Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.”

He added that ISIL has taken control of only six areas in the gas and oil fields of al-Sha’er, al-Heil and al-Maher in the last three days.

Meantime, Syrian Army troops with the back up of the Russian and Syrian fighter jets managed to drive ISIL out of the neighborhoods they lost to the terrorists on Saturday, and imposed full control over the historical city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Eastern Homs.

The army soldiers, backed up by the Russian and Syrian warplanes, pushed ISIL terrorists back from neighborhoods near Palmyra’s entrance, inflicting major casualties on the militants.

ISIL carried out one more large-scale attack on government positions at the Eastern entrance of Palmyra on Saturday night. They took control of the strategic height of al-Tar in the Northern side of Palmyra and the village of al-Ameriyeh Northwest of the city. They further laid siege on the city.

As the ISIL terrorists were entering the Eastern districts of Palmyra, the army troops started to evacuate civilians from the city and transfer them to the T4 region and airport, but after arrival of reinforcements, the government forces carried out crushing attacks on the terrorists and retook some of the lost neighborhoods with the back of the Russian and Syrian aircraft.

The army men, fresh forces and the Syrian and Russian fighter jets inflicted major losses on the militants and took back the village of al-Ameriyeh and the Eastern neighborhoods of Palmyra.

The government forces further targeted ISIL’s movements and gatherings in the wheat silos and al-Tar height, inflicting major losses on them and pushing them back from most of these two regions.

Massdar news reported that the Russian Special Forces with the back up of the Russian fighter jets and choppers played a crucial role in recapturing lost region in the Palmyra operation.

A field source said that the Syrian government forces are fortifying their position in the city to prevent any advance of the ISIL.

The sources added that the Takfiri terrorists try to maintain their position in Palmyra’s outskirt, but the Russian and Syrian warplanes are targeting them continuously.

The source also said that an ISIL convoy of vehicles carrying a number of terrorists that had left al-Sukhnah region for Palmyra was destroyed in the air raids.

A military source also told RIA Novosti that the Syrian army managed to repel ISIL attack on Palmyra, regaining full control over the embattled city.

“Let me repeat that Palmyra is under the control of the Syrian army troops,” the source said, adding that ISIL terrorists are carrying out intense attacks, but they have been repulsed.

On Saturday, the army sent hundreds of fresh forces to the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) to repel ISIL’s large-scale attacks and take back the lands lost in recent days.

Hundreds of forces arrived in the Eastern territories of Homs city to help the army men to fend off ISIL’s continued attacks and then take back lost lands near Tadmur.

ISIL terrorists started large-scale offensives against government positions and managed to capture several gas and oil fields and heights near the city.

Meantime, the army soldiers and National Defense forces with the back up of Russian and Syrian fighter jets warded off ISIL’s attacks in some of the flanks and killed tens of the terrorists.

The Russian Air Force also dispatched a number of choppers to T-4 airbase Northeast of Palmyra to back the ground forces to take back the lands lost to the ISIL and repel terrorists’ attacks.

A field source said that bad weather did not allow the Russian and Syrian aircraft to provide good support for the army men during the Thursday attacks of the ISIL.

“But Syrian bombers and the Russian choppers targeted heavily the movements and gatherings of ISIL near the energy fields,” the source added.

Another source disclosed that Palmyra and its road was under the full control of the army soldiers, adding that ISIL did not have enough fighters to capture Tadmur.

ISIL had gathered a number of forces from other regions for carrying out the attack in Homs, while advances of Ankara-backed militants in Euphrates Shield Operation in al-Bab region in Northern Aleppo and continuation of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces’ Euphrates Rage Operation to liberate Raqqa city have forced ISIL to use its forces in those battlefields in Aleppo and Raqqa provinces.